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2023 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as sixth poorest state

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
September 12, 2024 // Updated: September 12, 2024
Lawmakers have options to improve Oklahomans’ well-being, access to prosperity Data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey released Sept. 12 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.9 percent, which was the nation’s sixth highest. The national poverty rate… Read more More...

Recent Posts

The Weekly Wonk: Report shows Oklahoma children far from Top 10 | Meaningful change still needed to address mounting problems in the child welfare and youth justice systems | Court ruling on cabinet secretaries provides lesson in unintended consequences

By: Annie Taylor
June 15, 2024 // Updated: June 15, 2024
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Meaningful change still needed to address mounting problems in the child welfare and youth justice systems (2024 Legislative Wrap-up)

By: Jill Mencke
June 13, 2024 // Updated: June 17, 2024
Oklahoma is not known for being a safe and hospitable place for children. Oklahoma, for the second year in a row, ranks 46th nationally in overall child well-being. Lawmakers sought to address this problem in the 2024 session by passing budget increases to vital services like the child welfare and youth justice systems. However, Oklahoma’s structural budget deficit has meant that state agencies and service providers in the child welfare systems have continually been forced to do more with less year after year. [More...]

Court ruling on cabinet secretaries provides lesson in unintended consequences (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 11, 2024 // Updated: June 11, 2024
The ruling of Oklahoma County District Judge Richard Ogden in a case filed by Gov. Kevin Stitt against Attorney General Gentner Drummond provides an interesting lesson in unintended consequences. [More...]

Too Far from Top Ten: Oklahoma Ranks 46th in 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book as OK Policy Urges Legislators to Invest in Children

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
June 10, 2024 // Updated: June 9, 2024
For the 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, Oklahoma ranked 46th overall for child well-being. The data show Oklahoma leaders must do more to position Oklahoma children and families for success. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma needs leaders who prioritize people, not politics | Oklahomans will go another year without solutions to housing crisis | Anti-immigrant laws punish families and children. Oklahoma lawmakers pass them anyway.

By: Annie Taylor
June 8, 2024 // Updated: June 8, 2024
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Criminal justice reform in Oklahoma seems to come in small doses (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
June 6, 2024 // Updated: June 6, 2024
Senate Bill 325, which passed this session, improves the timeline for case completion by amending the Oklahoma Speedy Trial Act. Prior to passage of SB 325, the Act required a felony case to be tried within one year if the defendant is confined in jail. [More...]

2024 Legislative Wrap-ups

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
June 5, 2024 // Updated: July 29, 2024
Welcome to the Oklahoma Policy Institute’s annual legislative session wrap-up. Each year, we provide comprehensive summaries for each of our key policy areas. Learn about the major legislation introduced during the 2024 regular session with clear insights into the latest… Read more [More...]

Anti-immigrant laws punish families and children. Oklahoma lawmakers pass them anyway. (2024 Legislative Wrap-up)

By: Gabriela Ramirez-Perez
// Updated: June 6, 2024
Immigration is a complex issue, and gridlock in Congress has resulted in states venturing deeper into a legal area reserved solely for the federal government. In a state like Oklahoma, this means that lawmakers introduce punitive immigration policies meant to… Read more [More...]

Oklahomans will go another year without solutions to housing crisis (2024 Legislative Wrap-up)

By: Sabine Brown
June 3, 2024 // Updated: June 4, 2024
Oklahoma does not have enough housing, especially for low-income families. The state has a severe shortage of housing that is affordable for extremely low-income renters and evictions are on the rise. As pandemic-related rental assistance ends, the situation will become more dire. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Who is a Tribal Citizen? | Steps to improve budget transparency next session | Efforts to reclassify state’s criminal code maybe getting traction | 100th anniversary of American Indian citizenship

By: Annie Taylor
June 2, 2024 // Updated: June 2, 2024
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

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